Sony’s new Master Series 4K TVs could be the ultimate way to watch Netflix

Sony has announced a new range of Bravia Master Series TVs, which will be the firm’s flagship 4K television sets moving forward.

The brand new Master Series range will come in OLED and LED editions and both will pack the new X1 Ultimate Image processor, which Sony unveiled at CES 2018. The highest-end A9F is an OLED TV and will be available in 55-inch and 65-inch options. The Z9F LED set is the cheaper of the pair and will be come in larger 65-inch and 75-inch iterations.

Sony says the sets promote a “lens to living room” ethos designed to maintain the artistic vision of cinematographers. “The Master Series provides image quality approaching that of a professional monitor in a production studio,” said Sony’s TV boss Kazou Kii (via The Verge).

To achieve this, Sony is including new features like a Netflix Calibrated Mode, which is designed to ensure you’re seeing pictures as the content creators intended.

Naturally, Netflix is on board with this new mode. The streaming giant’s VP of device partner ecosystem Scott Mirer says: “Our members can view content as it was meant to be seen, with precise colours, accurate dynamic colours, and true motion so there’s no soap opera effect.”

Whether this mode rolls out to more TVs down the line remains to be seen, but right now it appears to be a Sony-exclusive offering. That new X1 processor also enables new features like object-based HDR remastering and super resolution, so we’re excited to get our eyes on this set.

On the audio side of things, the higher-end A9F set will feature a new Acoustic Surface Audio+ tool, which effectively turns the entire TV into a 3.2-channel speaker set-up. This tech enables the screen items act as a speaker and, as Engadget reports there’s a centre actuator, a different subwoofer channel and the existing left, right and sub channels.

There’s no news on pricing yet, but they’ll be available at some point during the autumn. Kii says these sets will be the “best of the best” so don’t expect them to be cheap.

Will you have your eye out for the Master Series when it arrives later this year? Or do you think the price may be too high? Drop us a line @TrustedReviews on Twitter.

Chris Smith is a freelance technology journalist for a host of UK tech publications, including Trusted Reviews. He's based in South Florida, USA.
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